The Japan Game Awards is well known for honoring the best games from Japan and the International community, and this year came a heartfelt message from Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of the Super Smash Bros. series. Running concurrently with the Tokyo Game show, Sakurai forewent the typical thanks one hears at these types of shows, and into a personal story that stretches back years ago.

The following is a translation from Nintendosoup.com:

“I am thankful for receiving such a tremendous award today. (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) has achieved many things up till this day. For example, the game has become Nintendo’s fastest selling software… Besides all I have mentioned, I have to share with you how the game has personally affected me. The act of creating Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch is, to me, accomplishing my ‘final mission’ for late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. I can’t say whether he is happy about it in the other world, because once someone passes on, that’s it. There is something I learned from Iwata-san – ‘What you can do now, do it at your fullest potential’. That phrase remains very important to me.”

Former Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed away in 2015, but it is clear that his impact has been lasting. The pair worked together at HAL Laboratory and even before Sakurai was a free agent, Iwata would count on him to forge the Super Smash Bros. series into what it has become today. When Iwate revealed Super Smash bros. Brawl during E3 in 2005, he did so before asking Sakurai to take the project on.

Via: nintendosoup.com

In some ways, the award speech fits perfectly into what we see in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. There are now 80 playable characters in the game, with more on the way through DLC. The care placed into each and the overall polish the game is incredible, and few could ask for more from the developers. That dedication has translated to both a critical and commercial success. The most recent game has made more in sales as a platform exclusive than the previous record-holder, which was Halo: Reach.

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What we are seeing now in the DLC being developed, and the promise of more to come, is Sakurai’s best work made with every bit of effort and determination he can muster. Terry Bogard was recently announced as the “last” DLC character to release in the near future, but unsurprisingly now that we have heard today’s speech, Sakurai announced that they will be continuing to add even more characters to the roster.

While fans across the internet have been vocal about which characters should be added to round out the game, many would likely agree that at this point, the characters themselves are largely irrelevant. Whoever is made, they will come into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with the upmost of care and dedication from Sakurai, and that should be more than enough for any fan of the series.

Though, we should still get Waluigi.

Source: Geek.comNintendosoup.com

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